Academic calendar
Fall Semester 2026 runs Aug 10, 2026 – Dec 10, 2026. Calendar aliases that share a date range are grouped together, with every source term still shown.
- Fall Semester 2026Relevant now
- Spring Semester 2027
- Summer Session 1 2027
- Summer Session 2 2027
Campus language
Search the full glossary. Nothing is sampled or hidden when the search field is empty.
Showing 20 of 20 terms
B
- Beaver Bucks
- Declining balance currency included with meal plans for use at Bob's Place or for extra meals in The Commons.
- BEO
- Bluffton Education Organization, a club for prospective educators.
- Bob's
- Shorthand for Bob's Place, the campus snack bar and retail dining area in Marbeck Center.
- BUBL
- Bluffton University Business Leaders, a student group focused on professional development.
- BUNA
- Bluffton University Nutrition Association, a student organization for nutrition and dietetics majors.
F
- First Tuesday
- A monthly forum series held in the library where students present their research.
- Freshens
- The fresh food studio located inside Bob's Place that serves smoothies, rice bowls, and salads.
H
- Hirschy Annex
- A residence hall often identified by students as a primary housing location for male students.
J
- J. Denny and Jenny
- The names of the university's male and female beaver mascots.
M
- MAC
- Marbeck Activities Council, the student-led programming board that organizes campus events.
- Meal Exchange
- A program allowing students to use a standard meal swipe for a specific meal at Freshens during designated hours.
O
- Old Ropp
- The original 1914 section of Ropp Hall, the university's first residence hall for women.
P
- Protect the Dam
- A popular athletic slogan and social media hashtag used by students and teams.
R
- Riley Court
- A historic area of campus containing both faculty offices and student apartments.
- Ropp Addition
- The 1967 addition to Ropp Hall that enclosed the courtyard.
- Ropp Annex
- The 1958 addition to Ropp Hall residence complex.
S
- Student Senate
- The primary student government body that allocates the student activity fee.
T
- The Blueprint
- Shorthand for the 'Bluffton Blueprint,' the university's general education and core values program.
- The Commons
- The main campus dining hall located in the Marbeck Center.
- The Wit
- Shorthand for The Witmarsum, the student-run media organization and newspaper.
Places and practicalities
Buildings, logistics, and other local references drawn from the approved campus snapshot.
- Arts & Lecture
- A graduation requirement where students must attend 60 campus cultural or academic events for credit.
- Buildings & Grounds
- The campus department responsible for maintenance, vending machine issues, and parking permits.
- Centennial
- Centennial Hall, an academic building housing social sciences, business, and the Technology Center.
- College Hall
- The university's oldest building, housing administrative offices and Ramseyer Auditorium.
- Colloquium
- Bi-weekly research presentations by faculty that students can attend for Arts & Lecture credit.
- Forum
- A weekly interdisciplinary presentation that counts toward the Arts & Lecture credit requirement.
- freshens
- Freshens
- Knowlton
- The Knowlton Science Center, featuring modern labs and student collaboration spaces.
- Marbeck
- The Marbeck Center, which serves as the student union and houses dining services.
- Musselman
- Musselman Library, the main campus library.
- my.bluffton
- The official student web portal used for course registration, grades, and vehicle registration.
- Sommer
- The Sommer Center, the university's primary indoor athletic and convocation facility.
- the_commons
- The Commons
Quick answers
Useful facts students can verify from the guide above.
- What academic term is relevant now?
- Fall Semester 2026 runs Aug 10, 2026 – Dec 10, 2026.
- How much campus context is included?
- 20 approved campus terms and 13 local details are included in full.
- Are all approved campus terms included?
- Yes. The complete approved glossary is available in the scrollable, searchable campus-language section.
- Where does this guide come from?
- Calendar dates, campus terms, and local details come from DormWay's approved campus reference library.